There You'll Be
by Kittie1
Summary: *ON LEXICON* Memories of the deaths of Ratchet and Wheeljack return to haunt Perceptor. Can a young Wheelie and and uncertain Rodimus Prime help him overcome his sadness?


There You'll Be  
  
First disclaimer in only Primus know's know long: I don't own Transformers, cause if I did, RATCHET AND WHEELJACK WOULDN'T BE DEAD ANYMORE! And I would make Perceptor my own little toy. And 'There You'll Be' is owned by Faith Hill.  
  
AN: Lamest Angsty yet!! Just a little fic of Perceptor's thoughts on Ratchet and Wheeljack's deaths after TF TM. I put it as Perceptor the youngest, then Wheeljack and Ratchet as the oldest.  
  
The lab was dark. Very dark. Ontop of the gleaming table, a stream of moonlight just barely immuminating the bright red figure hunched over. Perceptor clenched two photos tightly. He fought against the flow of fluid streaming from his optic lids. The single beam of moonlight shifted in the late hour, sliding to the door. With a hiss, the metal doors slid open, a small puff of air announcing the arrival of a very small, orange AutoBot.  
  
Wheelie held his sparking hand close to his little body, biting back a cry of pain. It was technailly Springer's fault that the storage crate was dropped, invertantly landing on his hand. He didn't mean to disturb Perceptor at this late hour, but his hand looked to badly damaged...not to mention it hurt.  
  
"Perceptor? Wheelie needs help."  
  
Jumping at the childish voice that seemed to come out of nowhere, and he looked around, untill he spotted a small AutoBot standing by the door. He narrowed his optics, zooming on the damaged hand cradled close to the childs' stomache. He beckoned to Wheelie, bringing him closer, wiping his optics hastilly and setting the pictures aside. Wheelie hesitantly approached the table, scared. Blaster had always teased him how the sicentist was ruthless when it came to repairs. But his smile seemed reassuring enough...  
  
"Come here Wheelie, I don't bite. Unless you've been taking Blasters' advice for real."  
  
Wheelie walked over to the medical table, a grin on his face and he climbed onto the table. With ginger care, Perceptor took a delacite look at the sparking hand. He only bruised a few cervos, and popped a minor joint cord, nothing to serious. He started to repair it, when Wheelie spoke again.  
  
"Wheelie say who's that?"  
  
Once again, the sicentist was suprised at the AutoBot speaking, and his eyes left the damaged hand, to follow the other one pointing. He was pointing at the photos' of Ratchet and Wheeljack. He closed his optics, and he could almost feel the young AutoBot staring, waiting patiently for an answer. "Those...those are two very dear friends of mine Wheelie.". He opened his optics to see the confused face of the child.  
  
"Then....when Wheelie came in...why was Perceptor crying?". He knew very little of the other AutoBots, mainly staying with Rodimus, Kup or Blurr, sometimes Arcee, the DinoBots. He stayed with the robots he felt safest with, and he found out quick which ones not to stay with! Blaster liked to tease, Tracks was strange, Springer was a joke that could walk, Kup had a fatherly figure. He stayed with Arcee or Swoop, both seeming alot like family. He didn't spend that much time indoors, so he rarely knew Perceptor, or the more anti-socal of the team, like Gears. He heard Perceptor take a shaking breath, and let it out, his hand reaching out to clench the pictures.  
  
"Wheelie, these two AutoBots were killed before you came here. Do you understand?"  
  
Wheelie felt a pang of sorrow for the older AutoBot. "Before Wheelie's ship crashed, with Mama and Papa, Wheelie was very quiet. Never talked. Fianally, Mama said it not good to keep things bottled up. Makes you sad, and sick. Wheelie tries not to think of Mama and Papa now though."  
  
"Why is that, Wheelie?"He felt the smaller mech shudder, and softly whisper his response.  
  
"Because Wheelie's Mama and Papa were killed too."  
  
This shocked Perceptor quite a bit! Wheelie was a cheerful sort, always giggling and playing games with the other AutoBots. He would have never thought of Wheelie being something like this! He was a mech beyong his years, thats a fact!  
  
"Before Wheelie's Mama and Papa went on a trip with Wheelie, before Wheelie could talk...Wheelie was taught by Mama, that Wheelie should wait his turn. Take turns when playing, and to take turns when talking. So Wheelie waited. And waited. And waited more. When Wheelie did talk, Wheelie was....three. When Mama asked why Wheelie waited so long, Wheelie say: You told me to wait his turn. There might be someone out there that needed help, and was calling, or that a baby was born, and was cheering. They needed to get heard, so Wheelie stayed quiet so people could hear them."  
  
By this time, his hand was repaired, and his story had touched a certain AutoBot with two deaths under his belt. He was opening his mouth to say something, when Wheelie inturrupted.  
  
"Wheelie say you should go visit Ratchet and Wheeljack."  
  
The sicentist smiled, just a bit, enough for the other to see. "Thank you. Thank you Wheelie."  
  
Without warning, he did what he hadn't done in a long time. He hugged Wheelie close, thanking him once more. He felt something wet drop onto his lens barrel, and he soon realized that it was Wheelie crying. He pulled the boy at arms length, and stared. His little face was wet, and tears were streaming down his face. "Wheelie, what is the matter?"  
  
The other AutoBot closed his optics to gather his bearings, then sighed. "Wheelie says you hug like Mama.". And wrapped his arms around himself.  
  
Perceptor wasn't sure if he should take that as a comment or an insult. But it just hit his core in a certain way... By this time, Wheelie was fine, and was climbing off the table. Just as he was about to leave, Perceptor grabbed his good hand. "Thank you Wheelie." The little bot smiled, and thanked him as well, and walked out of the med bay.  
  
It was later that evening, and Wheelie lay in his recharge berth, but unable to sleep. His hand wasn't bothering him anymore, instead, he held his own picture. It was of himself, his mother, and father. He smiled, and held the picture close to his chest. "Wheelie say...he find you someday."  
  
Perceptor's knees were shaking, as he approached the morge. He hadn't seen this place since the burial of Prime, and now, he was coming back, to see his two closest friends ever. He let out a shaking breath again, and gathered his wit, and stepped past the doors. The large cinagog was dim, soft light illuminating the staue of Optimus at the back. There were large coffins holding the bodies of the falled comrades, with statues or pictures showing who they were. Ratchet and Wheeljacks tombs were close together, a framed photo over each of them. The greif was too much for him to bear, and he sank to his knees, loosing the fighing to staunch the flow of tears streaming from his optics. He could bearly spit out his words, his light accent slurring his words untill he was unsure of what he was saying. "Primus...Primus I'm sorry....I couldn't.....I'm so sorry...."He whispered. Tears were running in his mouth, their salty flavor making them come out even faster. He pounded his fists into the stone floor, letting out an agonized cry. "I'm sorry Wheeljack...Ratchet....Primus I'm so sorry....I couldn't save you...."His sobbing quited down to whimpering, and he didn't notice the other presence enter the room.  
  
The innital sight of Perceptor out of his lab was the first shock, which Rodimus recovered from. Only to be tackled by the next one. Perceptor was sobbing, begging for mercy. 'Ratchet and Wheeljack!'His mind screamed. Quietly, as not to scare or shock the smaller mech, he approached the sicentist. "Perceptor?"  
  
The effect was something that he had not expected. Perceptor jumped, and scattered away, as if terrified of being caught grieving. "Rodimus!"He exclaimed. There was a faint rattle that caught the young Prime's attention. Perceptor was now shaking, very lightly though, just enough to make his barrel rattle. Rodimus reached out to lay a hand on the open shoulder, and felt the shaking increase ten fold.  
  
"I really must return to my lab, Rodimus. I apologize for disturbing you."  
  
This startled the AutoBot leader more then what had happend moments before. Perceptor was blaming himself for griving, and thought it was annoying him? Now he was just going to up and leave? "Perceptor wait. Stay here, I want to speak with you.". He also noted the the red mech refused to look his leader in the face, the shadows sheilding his face completly, besided the faint glowing of his soft blue optics.  
  
Perceptor tried to pull away, stammering and stumbing over his words. "N-no Rodimus...I re-ealy have t-t-to return to my lab."  
  
"That's an order Perceptor." He winced as soon as he said it. He didn't like to use his power to frighten his fellow AutoBots, or threatean them, but Perceptor had to get this off his chest...before it killed him. He snatched the sicentists arm, and yanked him into the light, revealing his tear stained face. "Perceptor, what's wrong?"  
  
The older mech yanked his arm away, and pointed to the two tombs. "That is what's wrong," His voice cracked from the force of the emotion he was trying to hold back, "THAT is the reason I'm here!". He turned away from his leader, fighting back emotions that nearly overflowed. His chest, his core ached with emotions that he could bearly keep tied down. He feld Rodimus lay his hand down on his shoulder, and he couldn't help but tremble.  
  
"I-I miss them, so very, very much."He whispered.  
  
Rodimus nodded, and held the sicentist at an arms length. "It's alright now, you can talk to me about it. I promise, you'll be fine.". When the other mech nodded, he led him back into the main base, and back to his lab. Upon reaching it, Rodimus asked one more time, "are you sure you'll be alright?". Perceptor nodded again, a great weight lifted off his shoulders.  
  
That night after he had long retired to his recharge berth, Perceptor had a dream. One that he would not forget for a long time.  
I stood there, a vast feild surrounding me. It looked like the feild, where I last spent my time with....Ratchet and Wheeljack. The sun was still shining, the breeze still teased my armour, and made the grass dance. Then, my gaze lifted, and I saw the two mechs I held closest to my core there.  
  
Wheeljack, his blue optics still holding that dreamers curiosity, and alive, sparkling with mirth threating to rub off on anyone around him.  
  
Ratchet, the grumpiness gone from his face, replaced with that same knowing smile, the same one that I still remember to this very day.  
  
"We told you we'd come back. We promised."Wheeljack grinned, placing a hand on my shoulder.  
  
I choked back my tears, my emotion processors overflowing.  
  
Ratchet's grin grew, and nodded in a unanimous addition. "We made that promise that we swore too, even in death."  
  
I fianally let the sob choking me let go, a single tear trickling down my face. Wheeljacks' optics softened greatly, and brushed the tear away.  
  
"Hey....don't cry....We're together now. But you gotta go now."  
  
I almost screamed, pulling closer to my lifelong companions. "No! I won't leave you! I won't!" But they were fading, pulling the bright memory of the feild with them. I couldn't help but try and bring them back one last time.  
  
"RATCHET! WHEELJACK! I'M SORRY!"  
Rodimus jerked up, upon hearing the agonized scream from Perceptors lab. Bolting from his place behind his desk, he darted down the hall, past the Romper Room, where the snores of the DinoBots reverberated, past Wheelies' room, past Wheeljack's old lab....and skidded to a stop. He sprinted into the lab, and burst into the living quaters over Perceptor. The red mech had buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...."was the whispering he heard over and over again. He approached Perceptor, hesitant. He stretched an arm over his shoulder, and began to assure him. "It's alright. It's alright. Your awake. It's alright Perceptor." This was very unlike Perceptor, who normally was very quiet, introverted, and kept himself locked up in his lab. Now he clung to the young Prime as a last lifeline, tears staining the paint. Slowly, he calmed down, and pulled away, horrified at his actions.  
  
"Primus...I'm sorry Rodimus. I really very am..."He began, but was cut off.  
  
"It's alright, you needed to get this off your chest. It's okay.". With a final pat on the shoulder, Rodimus left.  
  
Perceptor watched him go, and slowly, something happened, something appeared, that hadn't been there since the deaths of his companions. The light returned to his optics, and a slow grin stretched one corner of his mouth. Looking upward, he smiled. "Thank you....my brethren."  
  
Some where, beyond the stars and clouds, the very souls of Ratchet and Wheeljack grinned.  
  
"So what do you think Ratchet...good idea?"  
  
"Good idea my friend. Very good idea."  
  
The three, two in one world, one in another, smiled as one.  
  
'When I think back on these times And the dreams we left behind I'm glad because I was blessed to get to have you in my life  
  
When I look back on these days, I'll look and see your face You were right there for me.  
  
In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky In my heart there'll always be a place for you For all my life.  
  
I'll keep a part of you with me And everywhere I am, there you'll be  
  
You showed me how it feels, to have the sky within my reach And I always will remember the strength you gave to me Your what made me make it though I owe so much to you You were right there for me.  
  
In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky In my heart there'll always be a place for you For all my life.  
  
I'll keep a part of you with me And everywhere I am, there you'll be And everywhere I am, there you'll be.'  
  
Faith Hill- There You'll Be 


End file.
